The 4-4 vote elicited celebratory whooping from the roughly two dozen audience members.

One BOE member, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential board business, said the meeting started with six votes in favor of the contract, which would have made Lyles the superintendent until June 2016 at a $231,000 annual salary.

The four votes against the contract came from Vidya Gangadin, Marilyn Roman, Angel Valentin and Sterling Waterman. Waterman's and Gangadin's votes last night were a surprise, according to the board member.

"Sterling and Vidya both flipped in the meeting," the board member said, adding, "I've gotten very frustrated."

Gangadin told The Jersey Journal after the vote that she objected to the proposed contract's clause offering Lyles up to $34,000 in merit bonuses annually, and to the pact's termination clause, which
Gangadin said would not have permitted the board to fire Lyles if she doesn't perform well.

The board member who asked to speak off the record noted that contracts for the district's deputy superintendents contain almost exactly the same language as the one the board rejected last night.

"It's boilerplate," the board member said.
Lyles could not be reached to comment.

BOE President Sue Mack, a Lyles supporter, said she believes some of the "no"votes may have voted in favor of the pact were it not for changes made during review by the county superintendent.

"That put them off the reservation," said Mack, adding she is working with board members to schedule a meeting to discuss amending the contract.
Regardless of Wednesday's action, Mack said,

Lyles will be the next schools superintendent. "It'll happen eventually," she said.